Convertible lay for loom



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INVENTOR CARL F. BERGSTROM ATTORNEY nited States Patent ice CONVERTIBLE LAY FOR LOOM Carl P. Bergstrom, Millbury, & Knowles Loom Works, ration of Massachusetts Mass., assiguor to Crompton Worcester, Mass., :1 corpo- This invention relates to lays or beat-up mechanisms for looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide a lay which can be converted from one setting to another in order to operate with shuttle box constructions having different numbers of shuttle cells, as for instance one, two or four cells.

In recent years there has been a trend to build looms adaptable for fancy weaving in such manner that they can operate under difierent conditions for weaving a variety of fabrics. This has been accomplished more particularly in worsted and woolen automatic looms by a change in shuttle boxes but without material change in the weight of the lay. Thus, in one well-known type of convertible loom the right-hand end of the loom has been so made as to operate either with one shuttle box in a 4 x l loom, or with two shuttle boxes to permit pick and pick weaving in a 4 x 2 loom. In these instances, however, the lay except for the weight of the boxes has remained the same so that when weaving with a single box, or with two boxes, the speed of the loom has been handicapped by having the lay heavy enough to accommodate four shuttles.

The general object of the present invention is to provide interchangeable lay component units having layends of different sizes and fit the lay with the unit best adapted to the number of shuttles which are to be used. Thus, if four shuttles are required a unit having a relatively large heavy layend will be fitted to the lay, but if only two shuttles are needed the heavy unit will be replaced by a lighter unit adapted for two shuttles only to permit higher loom speed.

A loom lay ordinarily employs a lay beam, which may be wood, supporting a reed, a backstay for the reed, and a handrail, and may also be provided with center filling stop motion and protector stop motion mechanisms. It is an important object of the present invention to provide a lay construction in which the wood or upper lay beam member and the parts attached to it may remain supported in the loom while layend units are being interchanged. This result is accomplished as set forth hereinafter by supporting the upper lay beam member on two elongated aligned angle elements held together by a tie member which is supported on a third or intermediate laysword. When layend units are being changed one of the elements will remain attached to the tie member and also to the laysword at that end of the loom opposite the end where the change is to be made, and the upper lay beam member will remain supported by this element when a layend unit is loosened for removal.

It is a further object to provide units having angle section elements of two different lengths, one being long enough to reach out to the end of the lay when a single box or gang of two shifting shuttle boxes is to be used, and the other being shorter when a gang of four shuttle boxes is to be used. The angle element for the one or two-cell shuttle box arrangement will be low enough with respect to the lay beam member to permit down shifting 2,817,369 Patented Dec. 24, 1957 of two boxes, and when a single shuttle is to be used a box floor plate is secured to the top of the long angle element to provide the bottom for a single shuttle box.

The shorter angle element used with four shuttle boxes will be the same height above the rocker shaft as the longer angle element, but the layend for four shuttles will be deeper to permit a four-cell gang to occupy its lowest position. In order to afford support for the outer end of the shorter angle element a spacing block is placed under it and secured to the layend of the unit used with four boxes.

In all the settings of the lay the angle element at the end of the lay opposite the change end and the tie member and also the center or intermediate laysword will be the same. The units to be interchanged will each include a layend, a sword, and an angle element, the sword having a two-part detachable foot to facilitate removal from the rocker shaft.

The protector rod which extends across the lay will be supported at an intermediate point by the tie member and at one of its ends by the laysword which is not changed. The left-hand end of the rod will be held in a hearing which can be attached either directly to the layend when the lay has a setting for one or two shuttles, or to the spacing block when the lay is set for operation with four shuttles.

It is customary to employ sliding pickers on picker spindles when shifting shuttle boxes are used, and employ center fire picking when a single shuttle box is used. In order to adapt the lay for use with these two types of picking the floor block which is secured to the long angle element will have a picker slot in it as will also the outer end of the long angle element to accommodate a picker stick when center fire picking is used.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate three settings of the lay and wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the lay and certain loom parts set for operation with four shuttle boxes,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to the left end of Fig. 1 but wherein the setting is adapted for cooperation with two shuttles,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the addiwith a single shuttle box,

Fig. 4 is a View similar to the an enlarged scale,

Fig. 5 isa plan view looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 3, but with the wood or upper lay beam member removed and showing the abutting angle elements and the manner in which they are attached to the tie member,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section on lines 6-6, Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a detailed enlarged view looking in the direction of arrow 7, Fig. 2,

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but looking in the direction of arrow 8, Fig. 3,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical section on line -9, Fig. 3,

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the layend unit used when the lay is set for operation with one or two shuttle boxes,

Fig. 11 is similar to Fig. 10 except that it shows the layend unit adapted for four shuttle boxes, and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view as seen from the front of the loom showing the tie member to which the abutting ends of the two angle elements are fastened.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, the loomsides 1 may be of usual construction and support the usual rocker left-hand part of Fig. l on preferably in one piece and may be made of wood and has on the top thereof a race 4 to provide a shuttle path.

3 This member 3 extends across the loom and the righthand end thereof, as shown herein, is associated with a single shuttle box 5 which remains permanently connected to the lay and is not altered in the interchange of com ponent units already mentioned. The means for mounting this box 5 will be mentioned hereinafter.

Mounted on the member 3 is a reed 6 the lower end of which is held to the beam member 3 in an approved manner by means not shown herein but well understood and the top of the reed is held in place by a handrail 7. The reed and the handrail, and also the means for holding the lower end of the reed, extend across the loom and remain in place on the beam member during the interchange of layend units to be described hereinafter.

Also mounted in the member 3 is a weft stop motion designated generally at 8 and including a weft fork 9 and a shaft 19. As shown herein the shaft it} and other parts of the stop motion are permanently mounted on the member 3 and remain in position during the exchange of component units. A protector rod if has the righthand end thereof rockable in a bearing 12 secured to the right-hand laysword 13 but the remainder of the protector rod to the left of the bearing 12 is supported in a manner which will be described, the manner of support being such however that the protector rod remains in position during the exchange of the component units. The right and left-hand ends 14 and 15 respectively of the handrail are secured to the lay in usual manner.

In the following description the setting of the lay for two shuttle boxes will be described first, after which there will be described the changes needed to convert to a single shuttle box, both of these settings being attained by the use of a lay component unit U1, and then the setting for four shuttle boxes will be described in connection with the other component unit U2.

Referring to Figs. 2, 7 and 10, the layend component Ul. forming part of lay L1 includes a long angle section element 2% having horizontal and vertical flanges 21 and 22 respectively. The element 2% extends to the left end of the unit U1 as shown in Fig. 10 and is suppported on a laysword 23 forming part of unit Ull. The lower part of sword 23 has a bearing foot 24 and a bearing cap 25 normally held in bearing position on shaft 2 by bolts 26 which are removable when unit U1 is replaced by unit U2.

The laysword 23 has a flat shelf 27 provided with tapped holes 28 to receive screws 29 which hold the lefthand bearing 30 of the protector rod in fixed position in laysword 23. In this setting of the lay with two shuttle boxes a protector finger 31 is secured to the protector rod 11 to cooperate in usual manner with the upper and lower binders 32 and 33 respectively of the upper and lower shuttle cells 34 and 35 respectively of shuttle box gang G2. Gang G2 is mounted on a lifter rod 36 and may be caused to rise and fall by any approved box motion mechanism and slide vertically in guides 37 and 38 secured to the unit U1.

The sword 23 supports a layend 40 to which is bolted a bracket 41 having a shelf 42 which extends under and supports the horizontal flange 21. Bolts 43 and 44 secure the bracket to the angle iron 20 and the layend 49 respectively. The upright part 45 of the bracket 41 is spaced from the vertical part 46 of the layend 46 to accommodate the vertical flange 22 of the angle iron 20. These parts are shown in detail in Fig. 9 and will remain the same whether the lay is set for one or two shuttles. The element 20 is thus securely fastened to the sword 23 and the layend 40.

The right-hand end of the element 29 as viewed in Fig. 10 extends over an angle tie member 50 shown in Fig. 12. This tie member has a horizontal flange 51 and a vertical flange 52, the horizontal flange having elongated holes 53 to receive bolts 54, see Fig. 5, which pass through holes 55 in the horizontal flange 21 for the purpose of securing element 20 to the horizontal flange 51.

Other bolts 56 pass through holes 57 and 58 in the vertical flanges 22 and 52 respectively as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 to fasten these two flanges together. In this way the right-hand end of the angle iron 2h is secured to the left-hand part of the tie member 56 as viewed in Fig. 12, that is, the part of member 549 remote from sword 13.

Formed as part of the vertical flange 52 is a depending lug 60 which is secured at 61 to the upper end of an intermediate laysword 62 having at its lower end a bearing 63 for the rocker shaft 2, see Fig. 1.

Depending from the horizontal flange 51 is a second lug 64 to which is secured a center bearing 65 for the protector rod 11. The tie member 5t) and the intermediate sword 62 remain in fixed relative position for all settings of the lay and since the bearing as is on the tie member the protector rod will be supported during the interchange of lay component units. The outer or left end of the vertical flange 22 as viewed in Fig. 10 is secured to the layend 40 by bolts 66.

Extending to the right of the tie member and aligned with the angle element 20 is another angle element having horizontal and vertical flanges 71 and 72 respectively corresponding to similar flanges on element 20, see Fig. 3. This angle element 7% has its left end secured to the end of tie member 54 proximal to sword 13 in a manner similar to that in which the angle element 20 is secured to the tie member and extends to the right for attachment to a shelf 73 on the sword 13. This part of sword 13 may be similar to the corresponding part of sword 23 in the manner in which it supports angle element 70. Flange '71 extends under the shuttle box 5, and angle element 70 is secured to a layend 74 and sword 13 in the same manner as the left end of angle element 20 is secured to layend iii. A block 74 on flange 71 forms the floor of shuttle box 5 which is at the level of the race plate 4.

The upper beam member 3 is secured to both of the angle irons 20 and 70 by bolts 75 passing through the horizontal flanges 21 and 71. The bolts 75 preferably do not pass through the tie member 50.

in order that a shuttle may be picked out of either of the boxes 34 or 35 there is provided a picker 77 slidable along a picker spindle '78 mounted in usual manner on the back of the layend h). Picker 77 is propelled by picker stick S2 and may operate in the usual manner.

In the operation of the setting of the lay thus far described the shuttle boxes 34 and 35 will shift vertically so that one or the other of them may be moved to active picking position aligned with race plate 4 so that a shuttle leaving the box in active position will travel along the upper beam member 3 toward the box 5.

When it is desired to convert the lay from the setting already described to that which will adapt it for use with a single shuttle box at the left end thereof there is utilized a floor plate block shown generally at 80. This block 80 is so made as to rest on the horizontal flange 21 and is of such a height that its top horizontal surface 82 will align with the race plate 4. A shuttle box front 83 is fastened at 84 to the block 80 in fixed position with respect thereto to define the front part of a shuttle box 85 the floor of which is provided by surface 83. The rear part of box 85 is defined by a binder 86 pivoted in any approved manner (not shown) with respect to the layend 40 and operating in usual manner. The block .80 has a rear vertical flange 87 which is bolted at 88 to the layend 40 and the vertical position of the inner end of block 30 is determined by an adjusting screw 89 engaging the block 80 and the horizontal flange 21. The bolts .88 may if desired also hold a strip of wood 90 or similar material fixed with respect to the block 80 to serve as a rear guide for the picker stick S1 which in this setting of the lay will operate center fire and pass upwardly through slots 91 and 92 in the block 80 and flange 21 respectively. The block 80 is thus held fixed to the lay and is supported in part from the horizontal flange 21 of the angle element 20.

The protection mechanism for the single box is shown more particularly in Fig. 9 and comprises an arm 95 fixed with respect to the protector rod 11 and having a pin and slot connection 96 with a lever 97 pivoted at 98 with respect to the layend 40. The lever 97 extends upwardly and has a binder abutting screw 99 for engagement with the rear binder 86. A link and spring arrangement 100 acts to move the screw 99 to the right as shown in Fig. 9 but yields to permit the screw to be moved to the left upon proper boxing of the shuttle so that the protector rod can rock in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 9 to permit continued running of the loom. This type of back binder protection is of usual construction and is set forth to complete the showing of the lay when set for a single shuttle. The invention is not limited to this type of protection, and a front binder can be used in ordinary manner with the finger 31.

In the third setting of the lay which adapts it for use with a 4-cell shuttle box there is provided a lay component unit U2 having a layend 105 which is made larger than the layend 40 to accommodate the 4-cell gang G4 of shuttle boxes shown for instance in Figs. 1 and 4. This gang is supported and moved vertically by a lifter rod 106 operating in usual manner and is guided by inner and outer box guides 107 and 108 which may be of usual construction.

Since gang G4- must be able to move down to a position lower than that to which gang G2 moves the angle element 20 cannot be used and in its place there is provided an angle element 110 having horizontal and vertical flanges 111 and 112 corresponding to flanges 21 and 22 respectively. This element 110 is shorter than element 2t) and does not extend along the layend 105 but is constructed as shown more particularly in Figs. 4 and 11. The bottom of layend 105 has a horizontal reinforcing flange 115 provided with a slot 116 for the box lifter rod 106. A laysword 117 has a foot 118 and cap bearing 119 similar to parts 24 and 25 already described with respect to sword 23. Bolts 120 hold the foot 118 and bearing 119 together as shown at the lower part of Fig. 11 to permit the sword to be detached from rocker shaft 2. The shelf 115 rests on a horizontal plate or shelf 125 on the sword 117, and has a vertical part 126 which is bolted at 127 to the layend 105.

A spacing block 130 rests on shelf 115 and is held to the latter and to plate 125 by bolts 131. The upper part of block 130 has a ledge 132 to which the left end of the angle iron 110 and beam member 3 is secured by bolts 133. The left end of the angle element 111?, the block 130 and the flange 115 are therefore firmly bolted to the laysword 117, and the angle iron 110 extends to the right as shown in Fig. 11 and forms part of unit U2.

In this third setting of the lay the gang G4 can be shifted vertically so that any one of its cells can align with the raceplate 4, the lower part of the gang G4 being below the level of the horizontal flange 111 when the gang G4 is in its lowest position.

The angle element 116) has the right-hand part thereof as viewed in Fig. 11 constructed the same as the righthand part of angle element 29 as viewed in Fig. so that it can be attached to the angle tie member so and to the lay beam member 3 as can element 20. The block 1341 has tapped holes 135 for bolts 29 by which the protector rod bearing 39 can be supported.

The lay is reciprocated in usual manner, as by cranlo shaft connectors one of which is shown at 141 in Fig. 9, and the units U1 and U2 have bearing ears 142 and 143 respectively for the forward end of the adjacent connector.

The flange 52 has 21 depending lug 140 for support of a different kind of weft stop motion, but this lug is not essential and is illustrated merely to complete the showing of angle tie member 50.

When it is desired to interchange the units U1 and U2 the bolts holding the elongated member 20 or 110, as the case may be, to the tie member 50 and to the left-hand end of the beam member 3 are removed and the cap 25 or 119, depending upon which unit is being removed, is taken off by slackening the nuts 26 or 120, and the connector from the crankshaft is disconnected from the layend, after which the elongated angle element can be slid rearwardly out from under the beam member 3, after which the unit can be tipped so that the laysword can be lifted over the adjacent part of the loomside. The reverse of this operation is followed when a unit is to be connected to the lay.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth a lay construction so made as to accommodate a plurality of shuttle box structures and includes a component unit which can be detached from the lay while the beam member 3 and parts on it remain attached to the layswords 13 and 62. The tie member 5*!) is supported at the upper end of the intermediate laysword 62 and extends lengthwise of the lay beam and is attached to the elongated elements which extend under the beam member, one of these elements being that indicated at 76), which is permanently fixed with respect to the lay, and the other being either the element 28 or 110, as the case may be. The unit U1 has a long angle element 21) which extends along the layend 40 and is low enough to permit the gang G2 to drop to a position in which the top shuttle box will be in picking position. When a single shuttle is to be used a block is secured to the left-hand end of the angle iron 20 to provide the floor for the single box. The invention also provides a lay component unit including a laysword, a layend and an elongated element on the side of the sword opposite the layend, these three parts being fixed with respect to each other and the element being adapted to lie under the beam member 3 and be attached to it and also to the tie member 50. In the unit U2 the angle element is shorter than element 20 to provide room for the shifting range of a 4-cell shuttle gang G4. In the unit U2 the block connects the laysword 117 to the element 110 and permits the latter to occupy the same vertical position with respect to the rocker shaft 2- as does the element 20.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In a loom lay, a lay beam member extending between the ends of the lay to provide a shuttle path, a laysword fixed with respect to one end of the beam member, a lay component unit including a lay sword adjacent to the other end of the beam member, an intermediate sword between said lay swords, a tie member secured to the intermediate sword below said beam member and extending lengthwise thereof, means permanently connecting the beam member to the part of the tie member proximal to the first lay sword, an elongated element fixed to and forming part of said component unit extending under said beam member and over the part of said tie member remote from the first named sword, detachable means holding the element to said beam and tie members removable to enable said element and unit to be removed from the tie member and beam member while the latter is supported by the first sword and said intermediate sword, a layend forming part of the unit, and a shuttle box structure on the layend.

2. The loom lay set forth in claim 1 wherein the lay includes a second elongated element below the beam member fixed with respect to the first lay sword and said proximal part of the tie member, said second element being aligned horizontally with the element forming part of the unit and said elements and having their adjacent ends terminating intermediate the ends of the tie member.

3. The loom lay set forth in claim 1 wherein the shuttle box structure includes a gang of two shifting shuttle 'boxes and said elongated element extends along and is secured to the layend at a distance far enough below the shuttle path to enable said gang to occupy a position in which the top shuttle box is aligned with the shuttle path.

4. The loom lay set forth in claim 1 wherein the elongated element extends along and is secured to the layend and a shuttle box forming block is supported on the top of said elongated element and supports and forms part of a single shuttle box forming said shuttle box structure.

5. The loom lay set forth in claim 1 wherein the shuttle box structure includes a gang for four shifting shuttle boxes which when in lowest position extends below the level of the elongated element and the end of the latter adjacent to the gang terminates at a point out of the shifting range of said gang.

6. The loom lay set forth in claim 5 wherein the layend has a horizontal flange along the bottom thereof and a block above the flange secured to the adjacent sword supports the adjacent end of the elongated element.

7. In a loom lay, an upper lay beam member extending between the ends of the lay to provide a shuttle path, a lay sword fixed with respect to one end of the beam member, a lay component unit including a lay sword adjacent to the other end of the beam member, an intermediate sword having supporting relation with the beam member between said lay swords, an angle tie member secured to the intermediate sword below said beam membet and having a horizontal and a vertical flange, means permanently connecting the beam member to the part of the horizontal flange of the angle tie member proximal to the first laysword, an elongated angle element fixed to and forming part of said component unit and having a horizontal flange extending under said beam member and over the part of said angle tie member remote from the first named sword, detachable means holding the horizontal flange of said element to said beam member and holding both flanges of the element to the corresponding flanges of the angle tie member removable to enable said element and unit to be removed from the beam member and angle tie member while the beam member is secured to the first sword and said angle tie member, and a layend to receive a shuttle box forming part of said unit.

8. In a lay component unit for a loom having a lay beam member and a rocker shaft, a lay sword having a two-piece foot for attachment to the rocker shaft, a layend for shifting shuttle boxes secured to the sword and extending from one side thereof, and an elongated element secured to the sword and extending from the opposite side thereof to lie under the beam member and having provision for attachment to the beam member, the elongated element also extending along and secured to the layend.

9. The lay component unit set forth in claim 8 wherein a shuttle box floor plate block is secured to the top of the elongated element.

10. In a lay component unit for a loom having a lay beam member and a rocker shaft and an intermediate lay sword provided with a tie member, a lay sword forming part of the unit having a two-piece foot for attachment to the rocker shaft, a layend for a shuttle box structure forming part of the unit secured to the sword of the unit and extending from one side thereof, and an element forming part of the unit secured to the sword of the unit and extending from the opposite side thereof to lie under the beam member and having provision for attachment to thelatter and also to the tie member.

11. In a loom lay, a lay beam member extending between the ends of the lay to provide a shuttle path, a laysword fixed with respect to one end of the beam member, a lay component unit including a laysword adjacent to the other end of the beam member, an intermediate sword between said layswords, means permanently securing the beam member with respect to the intermediate sword, an elongated element fixed to and forming part of said unit extending under said beam member and over part of the intermediate sword, detachable means normally holding said element fixed with respect to the intermediate sword and beam member removable to enable the element and unit to be removed from the intermediate sword and beam member while the latter is supported by the first named sword and the intermediate sword, a layend forming part of the unit, and a shuttle box structure on the layend.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

